The program Closing Al Asad: Anatomy of a Withdrawal premiered a couple nights ago and we received a few interesting email replies. Rather than have them in the comment stream I thought I would post here where they are more easily read. This one comes from Dave Dunford, Former Ambassador to Oman (1992-1995) and then Senior Adviser to Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs first under ORHA and then under the CPA (April 24 to June 16, 2003).

Dodge,

Dave

Our film on the recent US withdrawal from Iraq, Closing Al Asad Air Base: Anatomy of a Troop Withdrawal will have it’s US premiere tomorrow evening on HDNet World Report. The 24 minute film will focus on 4-6 Infantry’s closure of Al Asad Air Base in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province and final convoy out of Iraq, December 2011.

Scott and I chronicled the final days at Al Asad and preparation for the 36 hours road march from Iraq, including maintaining base security with a severely reduced force, a deception operation to mask our date of departure, the last flight out, and the security preparations prior to driving 99 tactical vehicles in five serials to Kuwait.

We hope you get a chance to tune in and would love to hear what you think of the program.

http://www.hd.net/programs/hdnet-world-report/

What makes this review by my father-in-law even more interesting is a conversation Scott had at Camp Virginia Kuwait last week with a young LT who was at West Point when Gen Hagenbeck served there as Superintendent. Scott had said something about us being present at Operation Anaconda and the LT replied that at West Point, everyone knew Hagenbeck was there because “he screwed up in Anaconda by pulling the troops out too fast.”

I honestly had never heard that but have in fact always wondered about the decision to pull everybody out after the beating the Task Force Summit and the Brigade TAC took on that first day. But I thought that the decision was colonel Wiercinski’s, and it doesn’t seem to have hurt him as he is now the three-star presiding over USARPAC. Nor has it hurt, then LTC, but now a one-star general LeCamera at the 25th Infantry Division–the battalion commander for Task Force Summit who was at Blocking Position Ginger.

I am curious about this.

I just got my first family review of our book and DVD, Operation Anaconda: America’s First Major Battle in Afghanistan, published by University Press of Kansas. First, I am glad he read it. A former Vietnam vet, I hoped he would find it interesting, plus the fact that I was present in the operation. Well, he really thought about it as well and brings up some very valid concerns with the operation. I was afraid the book would come across as possibly giving the Army a free pass but if his review is to be considered, I guess I don’t have to worry about that. Check it out. My brackets [ ] added for clarity.

Dodge, I’m reading Operation Anaconda and can hardly contain myself. Here you have the most advanced military in existence and they have one little exercise. I truly believe that most people off the street with some common sense would of done a better job carrying out this operation from the very beginning. One would think that the bugs would have been worked out after the initial incursion, but the decisions only got worse. Maybe I am naive, but answer a few questions. Why wouldn’t it be SOP [standard operating procedure] to put some ID (tape, paint or something) on a convoy using non military transportation so they would’t be fired on by friendlies? Why wouldn’t a sniper team be part of every platoon. When they found out how valuable the attack helicopters and A-10s were in the first contact, why would they ever go in there again without equal or better protection. If the spook or specter [AC-130] was so good and was used at night, but was always pushing its limit why wasn’t at least one more available before they went in again? Why couldn’t they drop a camo-beacon with its own frequency at each LZ to ID them. Why would they ever go into a LZ without dropping napalm or something on it to neutulize it? It seemed as if resources(helicopters) were of no concern at the first, and then when they really needed them they acted as if their safety was paramount over the safety and lives of many. It seemed as if they were willing to sacrifice any thing for the life or body of the first guy [SEAL Neil Roberts] that slid out the back, but as more wounded and dead stacked up they had less concern for anyone. It seemed as if the safety of the seals that went in to rescue that one guy was more valuable than anyone else. Why would they change leadership in the middle of a battle from someone who knew the situation to someone who didn’t. They should demote that air force general to E-1 and throw him in jail. Thanks for the book. Love Ted

It has been a week since we returned from Al Asad Air Base in Al Anbar Province Iraq. Since then we have provided footage for a couple CBS World News Stories, participated in Sunday Edition morning talk show here in SLC’s KSL TV, published one piece on the process of withdrawal for Jane’s Defense Weekly, and wrapped it up with a full hour on NPR’s Radio West yesterday.

It has been so busy I haven’t had a chance to digest everything I saw and experienced during the embed. There is one image in my mind I keep thinking about. During the convoy, moving south from the Baghdad area, south of COB Adder, we passed numerous Iraqi police and military checkpoints and outposts along the highway. It was clear we had changed locations from the Sunni dominated Al Anbar Province. One after the other military/police checkpoint flew flags of Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite martyr. This stood out in sharp contrast to the dozen or more military/police checkpoints we passed in Al Anbar, which in every case, flew only the the Iraqi state flag. The flying of Imam Hussein’s image from a location of Iraq’s security apparatus is troubling to say the least. Major questions remain whether or not Iraq can overcome severe sectarian divides, and whether Iran will have inappropriate influence in the Shia dominated southern portions of the country. So too, are there questions about the loyalty of Iraq’s army and police–are they loyal to the state or to something else? Let’s hope the image of Imam Hussein fluttering in the breeze from the Iraqi army and police outposts that I saw isn’t the answer to this question.

As you’ve noticed, Scott and I have been filing different posts. He has been focused on the production part of the trip while I have tried to put the military life and experience into context. Well, for us the trip is almost over. We finished a grueling 36 hour convoy run from Al Asad into Iraq late last night. The trip took us from Al Asad, to Adder, to K Crossing and finally here to Camp Virginia Kuwait. I don’t know when the last time I was this tired. I think it was on those final days in Baghdad with 3/7 Marines in April 2003. I guess I am less and less cut out for infantry life. Actually, a single good night sleep would do the trick. Which leads me to the next bit, we are now bunking with 60 soldiers of Alpha Co 4-6 Infantry. There is always something going on in the tent. I shouldn’t complain though. Soldiers do this every day. And we’re also out of Iraq. The units are turning in all their gear and even the MRAP vehicles. Most will be on a flight home sometime in then next week, much to everyone’s liking–home for the holidays. We’re going to file one more story for CBS news and then get on a plane ourselves in a couple days.

I wasn’t able to blog many of the details of the 4-6 Infantry withdrawal from Al Asad because of security concerns but now that it is over I may blog it all again day by day to include the details that I couldn’t share before. However, rest it paramount right now. I need sleep.

A few weeks ago I saw an amazing film called “Hell and Back Again”, shot entirely on a 5D. While I knew the assets and limitations of DSLR shooting before we came over to Iraq, the limitations have taken on a whole new meaning and given me a new appreciation for those who do news gathering with cameras like the the 5D. Granted when you do nail the shot it looks like nothing else, but that is assuming you have everything in place when that moment arrives. Wrangling lenses and external audio gear seem to make my job twice as hard. Luckily, our DSLR operates as a B-CAM so there is not as much pressure to carry the footage. However, there has been more than a few occasions here where I have dreamt about selling my kit and picking up an EX-1. Things happen so fast over here that you really have to be on top of your game to be ready when the time comes. There have been several occasions where the image was good, but the audio suffered. There have been times where I did not have long enough lenses to do the job. But then there are the days when the light is perfect, you have the time to mount the right lens and dial in the audio just right, and something magical happens. Ultimately the footage will tell, but I might think twice before I fully commit to shooting with only a DSLR package in a place like Iraq.

The last flight into Al Asad left the air field around 2.30 pm this afternoon. On it were the last of the Navy led, Base Command Group, and the Air Force personal running the airfield, and all other non-combat US elements. In fact, I left 4-6 Infantry and drove up the air field to see them off. The C-130 coming in tipped its wing to the Army contingent remaining as it circled before landing. On the ground it was a quick turn around. The C-130 kicked out its own security detail to secure the perimeter and some 40 plus personnel hustled on board. A young airman ran the fork lift and loaded the last remaining pallets of gear. He then parked the vehicle just off the tarmac, grabbed his personal bag and jumped on board. The security detail followed and then the ramp closed. A few moments later the plane was gone. As I watched it slowly disappear it became strangely quiet. I looked around and even walked out on the runway and looked at the world around me. There were a variety of SUVs and trucks parked in odd display just off the tarmac, all of them with the keys in the ignition, a gift to the Iraqis who will recover them. In the other direction nothing but endless desert. I was not only the last American on the airfield, but the only person on the airfield. Only months ago, charters from Delta, United and American airlines were picking up thousands of service members weekly headed for home. Now it is over. It was time to leave. I walked a little faster to my SUV, which seemed much farther away now. Driving off the tarmac I passed empty checkpoints and more abandoned vehicles. I wondered what the Air Force did with all the food they had in the terminal. I thought about stopping to check it out but decided against it. Ten minutes later I was back down the hill and within the security of 4-6 Infantry.

This place is a ghost down. All the contractors and non essential personnel have already left. We drive around the perimeter and there just isn’t anyone around. The 4-6 infantry continues to hold down the fort and work with the two Iraqi units here on base to prepare for the pending transfer. An Iraqi C-130 flew in today and dropped off some Air Force brass to witness the signing of the base to Iraq and discuss the Iraqi Air Force taking over the flight line soon. There seems to be competition between the Iraqi Army and Air Force for the base. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. General Donovan also flew in for the signing. Everything is in the works for this to be a fully Iraqi base in the next couple weeks. Yesterday we went on a patrol around the outer perimeter fence. The towers are now joint manned by US and Iraqi troops as part of the transitioning process. We also drove into the Iraqi 7th Army Division headquarters down by Abraham’s Oasis–but that was just for food; real bread, eggs, tomatoes and unions–and a coke in a bottle. It is the little things.

It has been a tough couple of days regarding communications. Our BGAN unit broke down and one by one all the facilities here on Al Asad are closing up and taking their internet with them. We have a source this afternoon but there is no telling how long that will last. Yesterday we spent most of the day at the flight line as 4-6 infantry continued to send some of their personnel home. The Air Force is also busy packing and flying out years worth of sensitive material and other equipment as it prepares to turn over the air field to the Iraqis later this month.

Watching the C-7s take off against the backdrop of the barren Iraqi desert is pretty amazing. I can’t help but wonder what the Iraqis will make of this base. They recently purchased US made F-16s and maybe they will put them here. The base is ideally located as a defensive position in depth in the event of a conflict with Iran and also a forward position for any conflict with Israel. They will also inherit all the fixed facilities and improvements made to the base by the US over the last nine years, which are substantial. But there is a feeling here that there will be a competition between the Iraqi units co located on the base and the Iraqi Air Force for possession of the space.

I better sign off while I still have internet.